Health & Behavior Archives - ILoveDogsAndPuppies

Changing The Way We See Service Dogs

Mr.Dog — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:31:06 +0000

It has always been assumed that service dogs are specially-bred purebred dogs – usually Labs, German shepherds and Golden Retrievers. It’s been this way since the very beginning because it was believed these are the dogs that were “best suited” for the job. They are also very expensive, with mile long waiting lists and often a lot of red tape is crossed trying to get one.

Sherry Woodward is a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) who has worked at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah since 1996. Her professional career is impressive, including over 100 training documents that are used across the United State and in 5 other countries; a CPDT certified continuing education workshop held at the sanctuary, and was even featured on National Geographic Channel’s TV series DogTown, which chronicles the physical and emotional rehabilitation of dogs living at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

However, her real accomplishment has been the founding of Canines With Careers a groundbreaking program she started to take rescued dogs with the right personalities and train them to be service dogs, animal-assisted therapy dogs, educational support, emotional support, and search and rescue dogs.

Here is a short video of Ninja, one of the career dogs in training, working in Woodward’s kitchen for her breakfast.

https://youtu.be/Txn_p23h6h0

What made you start this program at Best Friends?

SW: I want to save more shelter/rescue dogs and enrich more human lives, we have saved at least one soldier, too. A veteran that has one of our dogs has the story to tell of still being suicidal after he received his dog and how living with his dog helped him to put his gun down on his worst day.

Why makes it special?

SW: We see the results, we tell the stories, and it really does save lives!

Do you know if any other shelters or rescues have adopted a program like this?

SW: None like we have, I do work with over 500 individual trainers that are involved in helping with their efforts. Some of those are working with shelters all of them are working with shelter/rescue dogs instead of breeding.

To date, how many dogs have you placed from the program?

SW: We started in mid 2009 and over 1,200 have been placed across the country, 58 myself personally.

What is the message you want to get across to people who may not be aware of your program?

SW: Many shelter/rescue dogs can be career dogs, they can often take less time to screen, select, place and train. Everyone can help with this work – foster, take dogs on outings, sleepovers, learn to help with their training, buy supplies that are needed.

How do you choose the dogs to participate?

SW: I have created an assessment tool that I use and share (teach) across the country.

About how long are they in the program?

SW: With all dogs that are placed through Best Friends (the 58 mentioned above) the commitment is for life, we support the teams with grant funds as we can, we will take back any dog at any time. We support with training long term. The people I work with across the country have a variety of different commitments.

Is their adoption fee higher?

SW: The rates vary if the dog comes from me the cost can be waived, if the dog is through any other shelter the cost will vary most adoption fees are under $200.00 some rescues may be slightly more.

(Editor side note: a “traditional” service dog anywhere from $10,000-40,000)

Do you have a waiting list?

SW: Yes always! I pass many adopters to people I work with that are closer to where they live.

If someone is interested in getting one of your dogs, who should they contact?

Helping Dogs & People

“According to the Institute of Medicine, more than 40 million people in the U.S. have a mental or physical disability, and only about 1 percent of the people in need have service or support dogs.” (bestfriends.org).

The Canines With Careers program is not just saving dogs lives, but is helping fill a tremendous need for service dogs that the breeders just can’t keep up with.

The dogs are chosen for their willingness to work and temperament, among other things. Because they are, for the most part, already adults, it takes Best Friend’s less time to get a dog ready for work than it does in the traditional system, where dogs are raised from puppies with a 50 percent failure rate

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15 Fastest Dog Breeds

Mr.Dog — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:28:11 +0000

Every dog breed has its own unique purpose and its structure and abilities reflect the job it was bred to do. A number of breeds were bred to chase and catch prey, which means they need to run very, very quickly. Others were used for racing, carting, and even sledding. Whatever the reason, these canine athletes need to be fast and they need to be able to run. If you’ve ever wondered which breeds would win the relay race, check out this list below!
1 – Greyhound

Greyhounds are sighthounds bred for chasing prey in short distances, meaning speed was far more important than endurance. With a top speed around 45mph, Greyhounds became the most popular dog used in racing and lure coursing events.
2 – Whippet

The Whippet is running right at the heels of the Greyhound with top speeds of 35mph. This sighthound is similar to the Greyhound but smaller in appearance. Like the Greyhound, this breed is also used for hunting, racing and lure coursing.
3 – Saluki

Salukis are an Egyptian sighthound bred for hunting and chasing prey. The breed has reached top speeds of 40mph, following the path of the sighthound speed.

4 – Borzoi

The Borzoi is a large Russian sighthound, running at top speeds of 36mph. The breed is very fast despite its size and was used to hunt and chase prey over large plains.
5 – Ibizan Hound

The Ibizan Hound is a Spanish sighthound capable of reaching speeds up to 40mph. Bred for chasing and catching prey, they are agile but elegant dogs. Today it is most frequently found participating in lure coursing events.
6 – Pharaoh Hound

The Pharaoh Hound originated in Malta and is another sighthound used for hunting and chasing prey. The breed has reached speeds of 35mph and are also known for being excellent jumpers.

7 – Afghan Hound

Arguably one of the most regal-looking and elegant dog breeds, the Afghan Hound can reach speeds up to 40mph. It is a long-coated sighthound from Afghanistan and has been used in hunting and lure coursing.
8 – Scottish Deerhound

The Scottish Deerhound is a very large sighthound from Scotland, originally bred for deer hunting. Reaching speeds of 35mph, they excel at lure coursing and other sprinting activities.
9 – Border Collie

The Border Collie is one of the most versatile sporting breeds today, reaching speeds of 30mph. This herding dog has maintained the most widely used breed today for its original purpose of working sheep and cattle. Because of their speed, they also excel at agility, flyball, disc dog, obedience and more.

10 – Vizsla

The Vizsla is a Hungarian gundog reaching speeds up to 40mph. They make excellent active companions and are still widely used as hunting dogs.
11 – Jack Russell Terrier

Although a small breed, the Jack Russell Terrier has reached speeds of 38mph and excels as a hunter, agility, flyball and lure coursing dog.
12 – Doberman Pinscher

This German guardian breed has topped speeds of 32mph, making them one of the fastest working dogs that weren’t originally bred for hunting. Their muscular build and stamina makes them a great choice for a variety of working venues.

13 – Dalmatian

The Dalmatian is a carriage-pulling breed from Croatia and although it was bred more for endurance than speed, they have topped the charts at 37mph. They are very active dogs that need a job to do in order to stay happy and healthy.
14 – Alaskan Husky

Alaskan Huskies are not recognized by any major kennel clubs, but they have been selectively bred for generations to maintain the ultimate sledding capabilities needed for daily work and international races. Endurance is often more important than speed in these dogs, but they have topped the charts at 28mph.
15 – Belgian Malinois

Belgian Malinois are one of the most prolific police and military working dog today, as well as excelling at a large majority of dog sports. The breed originated as a herding dog but quickly was used as a protection dog and is capable of reaching speeds of 45mph.

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Take Your Dog To Work Day Tips Straight From The Experts

Mr.Dog — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:13:25 +0000

As you gear up for June 26th, the annual “Take Your Dog To Work Day” you may be wondering about how to do it so everyone has fun and is safe. With a DAILY pet to employee ration of 1:2 (400 employees and over 200 pets) Trupanion Pet Insurance headquarters in Seattle, Washington, is the epitome of a dog-friendly work space.

So how do they do it without having incidents? Here are their tips to bring your dogs to work on June 26th, or any day. Trupanion believes pets at work create a better space, “employees feel more inspired, more creative, and more comfortable.”

For more information about their dog-friendly work environment, including the benefits and why your company should consider going “pro-pet,” visit their website.

1 – Approval

If you rent your office space, make sure your landlord is okay with you having dogs there – even if it is just for one day.

2 – Confinement

One of the first things Trupanion says to consider is how pets will be safely secured in the office. Things like baby gates for cubicles, tethers, and crates can ensure no pet wanders and gets lost or even out of the building by accident.

3 – Avoid Falls

Dr. Kerri Marshall, Trupanion’s Chief Veterinary Office, has personally treated many fractures, concussions and other injuries from pets inadvertently falling off counters, chair, couches, etc. Be sure employees are not leaving small dogs unattended on their desks or on a chair to avoid injury.

4 – Health

Make sure all the dogs coming to the office are vaccinated, so they don’t spread disease. They should be current on DDHP, Rabies, and Bordetella, and be on a flea preventative. Tell employees that if their dog is sick, they need to stay home.

5 – Friendly

All dogs attending the workplace should be friendly to other people and dogs. Even if you don’t plan for the dogs to meet, if the unexpected happens and dogs get loose, you don’t want to have to worry about a fight.

6 – Clean-Ups

For the easy of everyone, Trupanion recommends only allowing house-trained pets to come to the office. Even then, accidents happen. They find having a Spot Bot around works well to clean-up any mess.

7 – Pet Rules & Etiquette

This is to make sure the day goes smoothly and that everyone (even those without pets) has fun and wants to do it again next year…or even next week! Trupanion has templates for everything you may need to have a great Take Your Pet To Work Day.

8 – Have a Pre-Meeting

Make sure everyone knows the rules of the day by having a meeting before the dogs are invited in for a day. A meeting will also allow anyone to ask questions about the policies or make suggestions if something was forgotten.

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